Confessions of a oenophile: reviews of highly rated wines, grocery store finds, and all other kinds.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Don Guillermo Pinot Noir

Don Guillermo de Mendoza Pinot Noir 2012
Mendoza, Argentina

www.mtouton.com

Today is the last day of Passover -- let's talk Kosher wine. There really are some good, high quality producers of Kosher wine out there. Even though sweet red kiddush, or holy, wine was traditionally produced in the eastern Mediterranean, modern Kosher wines are not all that sickly sweet stuff your Zayde would chill down in the freezer before dinner.

Review: So, what about this Argentine Pinot Noir? It's not half bad. With surprisingly dark ruby color, the wine has mild aromas of cherries and violets. On the palate, it's bone dry and pretty thin, without much tannic structure. This isn't surprising as the wine is Mevushal. Any chance this wine had at being nuanced or complex has been boiled away. All in all, the wine falls a bit flat. That being said, though, there are no real faults. The fruit is not under ripe, the wine is not out of balance, it doesn't taste bad -- it's just not interesting.

Bottom Line:If I needed to bring something red to a party where people were observant of Kosher rules (or to next year's Seder) I would feel comfortable bringing this. Would I buy it again to drink on a Tuesday night in my apartment? Nope.

From Argentina, I would stick with Malbec or Bonarda. Yummy, deep flavors. Bonarda is similar to Malbec, but with less tannin and more of a blueberry note. I'm sure there are good Pinots coming from Mendoza, but few I've had have been a little flat and one note. Not bad table wine, but they don't hold a candle to Burgundy or Oregonian Pinot.